SUBJECT: UFOs EXPLAINED FILE: UFO2823
##UFO##
UFOs Explained
Philip J. Klass
1974, Random House (1976 Vintage); (438p.)
#UFO#
A classic debunking work on UFO's, selecting a number of
well-known and intriguing cases, particularly some most touted by ET
or mystery proponents. Klass's reconstructions can be complicated,
but are convincing. Not all would agree with his extrapolation to
imply that all UFO cases, even if not explained similarly, must have
prosaic explanations, but Klass's argument is not a trivial dismissal.
Cases discussed include the Socorro "Landing," the RB-47 case, the
Pascagoula abductions and the Army helicopter incident of 1973, and
many more.
UFO's: The Public Deceived
Philip J. Klass
1983, Prometheus Books; 310p.
#UFO#
Another Klass volume of prosaic explanations of prime UFO
cases, less-than-competent UFO investigators and exposed hoaxes.
Includes a pretty definitive treatment of the famous Travis Walton
case, most probably a hoax. Again, the bulk of the book is individual
cases, with the implication that there is a good chance that the
processes that go into their explanations are also operative in others
that are not explained.
UFO-Abductions: A Dangerous Game
Philip J. Klass
1988 (updated 1989), Prometheus Books; 200p. (222)
#UFO#
Argues that typical UFO abduction accounts arose from popular
mythology, circulated in accounts like _The Interrupted Journey_ and
stories about the Travis Walton case. With the `abduction explosion'
of the 1980s -- through best-sellers by Budd Hopkins and by Whitley
Streiber -- a pre-fabricated `storyline' was already in place. To
explain how disparate people provide similar accounts and believe in
them, Klass provides two mechanisms. Firstly, many abduction accounts
were `uncovered' through hypnosis, so it is likely that they arose
through the hypnotist's asking questions which `led' the patient to
create a UFO abduction memory. The second is that several abductees
(Streiber especially) exhibit symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsy
(TLE), which encourages confabulation of memory and fantasy. While
the hypnosis hypothesis can be checked through session transcripts,
the TLE idea reaches too far. Klass was a layman making a
long-distance diagnosis on the basis of a little psychology research;
saying Streiber had an organic brain disorder. This, and other ad
hominem attacks (such as arguing that aliens wouldn't have taken an
abductee because she was ugly) make this book an interesting failure.
Flying Saucers: Magic in the Skies
Otto Billig
1982, Schenkman Books; ?p.
#UFO#
UFO's And Outer Space Mysteries: A Sympathetic Skeptic's Report
James Oberg
1982, Donning; 192p.
#UFO#
UFO's: A Scientific Debate
Carl Sagan and Thornton Page, eds.
1974, Norton; 344p.
#UFO#
The UFO Verdict: Examining the Evidence
Robert Sheaffer
1986, Prometheus Books; 242p.
#UFO#
Final Report Of The Scientific Study Of Unidentified Flying Objects
Edward U. Condon and Daniel S. Gillmor, eds.
1968, Bantam books; 965p.
#UFO#
Round In Circles: Physicists, Poltergeists, Pranksters and the Secret
History of the Cropwatchers
Jim Schnabel
1993, Hamish Hamilton Ltd., London; 295p.
#UFO#
Watch The Skies! A Chronicle of the Flying Saucer Myth
Curtis Peebles
1994, Smithsonian Institution Press; 342p.
#UFO:history#
An objective history of "the flying saucer myth." Beginning
with Kenneth Arnold's classic sighting of nine objects "skipping like
saucers" near Mount Rainier in 1947, Peebles covers the classic events
(Captain Thomas Mantell's "dogfight" with a UFO, the "Invasion of
Washington," etc.) through their evolution into the modern belief in
alien abductions. The dustjacket assures the reader "[t]his
thoroughly researched chronicle concludes that the flying saucer myth
is not really about disk-shaped spaceships and their angelic or
demonic pilots. Rather, like earlier mythologies, it is an attempt to
make order out of the world, an expression of our hopes and fears."
An assurance which will not disappoint the reader.
The Great Airship Mystery: A UFO of the 1890s
Daniel Cohen
1981, Dodd, Mead & Co.; 212p.
#UFO:history#
Thousands in the US reported seeing a "mysterious airship"
overhead, in 1896 and 1897, though no such ship was possible at that
time. Both the sightings and the reactions to them parallel what took
place with the first UFO reports. Media attention was present, and
explanations proposed included hoaxes, a "mysterious inventor" and
spaceships from other worlds. Cohen concludes that the best
explanation for the wave is misindentification and hoax, with the
media improving on simple "night lights" reports. Similar hoaxes are
known, and paranormal explanations are riddled with contradictions.
Angels And Aliens: UFOs and the Mythic Imagination
Keith Thompson
1991, Fawcett Columbine; 283p.
#UFO:history#, #UFO:sociology#, #UFO:defense#
An account of UFO history focusing on the conflict between
believers and disbelievers, in "mythic" terms. Thompson reserves his
admiration for those (like Jung and Vallee) who chose not to focus on
the debunkers and believers but rather pondered why the strange
phenomenon (whether physically 'real' or not) was happening *now*. He
points out that both believers and skeptics at times have gone to
ridiculous lengths to prove their cases, but neither side has attained
conclusive victory. By the conclusion, however, an underlying
"reality" of UFO's becomes the de facto viewpoint, along with
unwarranted speculation about abductees being a transcendent form of
human development.
The UFO Controversy In America
David Michael Jacobs
1975, Indiana University Press; 384p.
#UFO:history#
UFOs And The Extraterrestrial Contact Movement: A Bibliography
George M. Eberhart
1986, Scarecrow Press; 1298p.
#UFO#
The UFO Literature: A Comprehensive Annotated Bibliography of Works in
English
Richard Michael Rasmussen
1985, McFarland & Co.; 263p.
#UFO#
Observing UFOs: An Investigative Handbook
Richard F. Haines
1980, Nelson-Hall; 300p.
#UFO#
UFO Phenomena and the Behavioral Scientist
Richard F. Haines, ed.
1979, The Scarecrow Press, 1979; 450p.
#UFO#
The UFO Experience: A Scientific Inquiry
J. Allen Hynek
1972, 1977, Ballantine Books; 309p.
#UFO:defense#
Hynek, sometimes called "the father of modern UFOlogy" by
proponents, started out as a scientific consultant to Project Blue
Book, working to determine misidentifications of astronomical objects
in UFO reports. He became convinced there was more to it upon
investigation. Hynek is also well-known for his classification (1st
to 3rd kinds) of UFO "close encounters." The book consists mainly of
presentations of examples that fall within these categories. A
classic of UFO literature, it does not include surprising information
or hypotheses for anyone involved in UFO matters, but it is an
excellent overview of the UFO incidents of its time.
The Edge Of Reality
J. Allen Hynek and Jacques Vallee
1975, Henry Regnery; ?p.
The UFO Handbook: A guide to Investigating, Evaluating and Reporting
UFO Sightings
Allan Hendry
1979, Doubleday; 297p.
#UFO:defense#
UFOs and the Limits of Science
Ronald D Story
1981, William Morrow; 290p.
#UFO:defense#
Passport To Magonia: From Folklore to Flying Saucers
Jacques Vallee
1969, Henry Regnery; 372p.
#UFO#
Dimensions: A Casebook of Alien Contact
Jacques Vallee
1988, Contemporary Books; 304p.
#UFO:defense#
Revelations: Alien Contact and Human Deception
Jacques Vallee
1991, Ballantine Books; 294p.
#UFO#, #UFO:defense#
A theme of this book is the irrationality that surrounds UFOs
where military authorities are concerned; but they may also use it for
their own purposes, or promote it unintentionally. Vallee exposes
some of the myths that have been accepted as fact in some UFOlogical
circles, discussing for example alleged abductions and various
conspiracy threads, and shows what the origins of these myths are. An
appendix presents his famous "Five arguments against the ET
hypothesis;" another gives Vallee's swan song at the MUFON convention
"Forbidden Science: The UFO Phenomenon and the Research Community."
Though some of the "revelations" should be taken with a grain of salt,
this is a good introduction to the mindsets prevailing in what is left
of American UFOlogy today.
Above Top Secret: The Worldwide UFO Cover-up"
Timothy Good
1987, Sidgwick and Jackson (London); 590p.
#UFO:defense#
Some UFO proponents recommend this as "the most important
book" on a UFO cover-up. Its focus is Britain and the US, but
material is included about countries such as the ex-Soviets, China,
and Australia. While documentation appears to have been provided, the
many instances of shoddy research and overcredulity overshadow any
case that might be made. Representative of the UFO cover-up theme in
popular UFOlogy, but not recommended for useful information about UFO
matters.
The UFO Evidence
Richard H. Hall, ed.
1964, NICAP; ?p.
#UFO:defense#
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